classifying stream ecosystems into distinct … stream ecosystems into distinct ecological units ......
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Ecological Drainage Units
Aquatic Ecological System Types
Valley SegmentTypes
AquaticSubregions
Classifying Stream Ecosystemsinto Distinct Ecological Units
at Multiple Spatial Scales
Scott P. Sowa, Gust Annis, Mike Morey, and David D. DiamondMissouri Resource Assessment Partnership (MoRAP)
http://www.cerc.cr.usgs.gov/morap
USGS National Gap Analysis MeetingOctober 6 - 9, 2003
Purpose of Classifying Riverine Ecosystems
• Provide ecological/evolutionary context– Want to identify and assess representation of
distinctive ecosystem units
• Provide an ecologically meaningful geographic framework for assessing conservation gaps– Planning Regions and Assessment Units
• Provide surrogate abiotic conservation targets– Complement biotic targets
• Provide the means to develop predictive distribution models and maps
Definition of an Ecosystem
• “A dynamic complex of plant, animal, and micro-organism communities and their non-living environment interacting as a functional unit”
Convention on Biological Diversity 1992
• “An interacting system of a biological community and the associated abiotic environment”
EPA 1992
What Makes an Ecosystem Distinctive?• Structural Features
– Longitudinal, lateral and cross-sectional morphology– Depths, velocities, substrate, turbidity, cover– Presence/abundance of habitat units, spatial
arrangement of habitat units
• Functional Processes– Hydrologic regimes, thermal regimes, nutrient cycling,
energy sources/budgets, trophic dynamics
• Biological Composition– Families, species, populations, or phylogenies
What Determines Differences in Structure, Function, and Composition?
• Numerous physicochemical and evolutionary processes operating atvarious spatial and temporal scales
• Often difficult to identify discrete breaks across the landscape to identify/map distinct ecological units
• Especially in structural feature and functional processes as they often change along a continuum
• Composition often changes abruptly
Different Approaches to Classification• Physical Features
– Geology, soils, landform, drainage area, gradient, valley form, etc…– Since structure and function tend to be coupled, the use of physical
features, which accounts for structural differences, generally accounts for functional differences
• Biological Composition– Biogeographic units– Problem: There are different ways to examine composition
• Ecological: Trophic guilds, habitat guilds, reproductive guilds, physiological tolerances
• Taxonomic: Generally Family or Species level• Genetic: Distinct phylogenies
• Combination of the Two– Ecoregional classifications
Hierarchical framework used for classifying and mapping riverine ecosystems in the MO Aquatic GAP Pilot Project Adapted from Frissell et al. 1986, Pflieger et al. 1989, Maxwell et al. 1995, Seelbach et al. 1997, Higgins et al. 1999
Level Description Defining Physical Features Defining Biological Features
Zone Six major zoogeographic zones of the world Continental boundaries Global climate
Family level patterns Endemism
Subzone Subcontinental zoogeographic strata with relatively unique aquatic assemblages created in large part by plate tectonics and mountain building
Major river networks and basin boundaries Regional climate
Family level patterns Endemism
Region Subzone zoogeographic strata created in large part by drainage network patterns that determine dispersal routes and isolation mechanisms.
Major river networks and basin boundaries Regional climate
Family and species level patterns Endemism Diagnostic species of foraging, reproductive and habitat-use guilds
Subregion Region stratification units. Large areas of similar climate and physiography that correspond to broad vegetation regions.
Regional climate Physiography General physiognomy of vegetation
Family and species level patterns Endemism
Ecological Drainage Unit
Subregion stratification units. Aggregates of watersheds within a distinct physiographic setting that share relatively unique aquatic assemblages
Drainage boundaries Physiography
Family and species level patterns Endemism Genetics
Aquatic Ecological System Type
Hydrologic subunits of ecological drainage units with similar physiographic settings, basin morphometry and position within the larger drainage
Drainage boundaries Position within ecological drainage unit Physiography Local climate Basin morphometry
Species level patterns Endemism Genetics Diagnostic species of foraging, reproductive and habitat-use guilds
Valley Segment Type
Valley segment types stratify stream networks of aquatic ecological systems into major functional components that define broad similarities in fluvial processes, sediment transport, riparian interactions, and thermal regime.
Temperature Stream size Permanence of flow Position within drainage network Valley geomorphology
Species level patterns Diagnostic species of foraging, reproductive and habitat-use guilds
Habitat Unit Type
Distinct hydrogeomorphic subunits of valley segment types (e.g., riffle, pool, run).
Depth, Velocity, Substrate Position within the channel Physical forming features
Species level patterns Diagnostic species of foraging, reproductive and habitat-use guilds
Step 1: Hierarchical Classification of Riverine Ecosystems
Levels 1-3 of the Hierarchy(Zone, Subzone, and Region)
• Largely account compositional differences in aquatic assemblages resulting from distinct evolutionary histories
• Adopted first 3 levels of Maxwell et al. (1995)
Level 4: Aquatic Subregions
Ozarks
MS Alluvial Plain
Central Plains
Level 4: Aquatic Subregions
Ozarks
MS Alluvial Basin
Central Plains
• Largely correspond to ecoregions, whichaccount for differences in aquatic assemblagesresulting from geographic variation inecosystem structure/function (e.g., flow, habitat)
Accounting for Compositional Differences Throughout Subregions
Species Counts
97
4229
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
Huzzah West ForkBlack
Shared
HuzzahWest Fork BlackShared
Delineating Level 5:Ecological Drainage Units (EDU’s)
Methods• Linked community fish data to
NHD• Generated prevalence indices
for each species by HU• Used multivariate analyses to
identify HU’s with similar fish assemblages– Ordination and Clustering
• Examined general distributional data for crayfish, mussels and snails
Delineating EDU’s: Multivariate Analysis of Fish Community Data
Ecological Drainage UnitsNMS Ordination Plot
of 8-digit Hydrologic Units in the Plains Subregion
Sub18
Axis 1
Axi
s 2
Grand/Chariton
Upper MS
Western Osage Upper MO
Middle MO
Sub11Sub12
Sub13
Sub14
Sub15Sub16
Sub17
Sub19Sub31
Sub32Sub33
Sub34
Sub35
Sub21
Sub22Sub23
Sub41Sub42
Sub43Sub51
Sub52 Sub53
Level 5: Ecological Drainage Units (EDU)
ge
MS Alluvial Plain/ LittleMS Alluvial Plain/ Lower MS/ St. Johns BayouMS Alluvial Plain/ White / BlackOzark/ Current / BlackOzark/ Elk / SpringOzark/ GasconadeOzark/ MSTribs btwn MO and OH RiversOzark/ MeramecOzark/ Moreau / LoutreOzark/ OsageOzark/ Upper St. Francis / CastorOzark/ WhitePlains/ Des MoinesPlains/ Grand / CharitonPlains/ KansasPlains/ MO Tribs btwn Blue and Lamine DrainagesPlains/ MO Tribs btwn Nishnabotnaand Platte Draina sPlains/ MS Tribs btwn Des Moines and MO RiversPlains/ Osage
Aquatic Subregions
• Largely account for compositional differences in aquatic assemblages resulting from distinct evolutionary histories
Accounting for Structural and FunctionalVariation throughout Aquatic Subregions
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Spring Density/Volume Bedrock Geology
Slope/Relief Classes Soil Texture Classes
Common Ozark Species Not Found in the
Bourbuese or Dry ForkFish
Ozark minnowWedgespot shinerBleeding shiner
CrayfishFreckled crayfish
Saddleback crayfish
MusselsSpectaclecaseSlippershell
Purple pimplebackElephants ear
Western fanshell
Bourbuese RiverWatershed
Dry Fork RiverWatershed
Finer-Resolution Physiographic Variation Also Influences Assemblages
Geology of the Meramec Watershed
Aquatic Ecological Systems and TypesFor the Ozark/Meramec EDU
Aquatic Ecological System Types
Position Soil/Geology Landform Groundwater
Lower
Upper
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• Defined by multivariate cluster analysis of geology, soil,landform, and groundwater variables
Discriminatory VariablesSoil Hydro Group: 2 categoriesSoil Texture: 6 categoriesBedrock Geology: 6 categoriesRelief: 7 categoriesSpring DensitySpringflow volume per unit area
* Percentages are calculated for overall watershed and local “Segment-sheds”
Delineating Aquatic Ecological System Types
Level 6: Aquatic Ecological System Types
Like colors represent ecosystem units having similar structure and function (AES-Types)
• Like Aquatic Subregions, AES-Typesaccount for differences in aquatic assemblages resulting from geographic variation in ecosystem structure/function (e.g., flow, habitat)
Note: No 2 EDU’s have the same combination or spatial arrangement of AES-types
AES-Types Account for Differences in Land Cover and Some Land Uses
AES-Types account for agricultural and resource extractive land uses
Forest Dominated
Grassland/Pasture Dominated
Level 7: Valley Segment Types
Unique Valley Segment TypesIndividual Variables
Temperature Stream Size Flow Gradient Geology Valley Segment Types
• Valley segments stratify a continuous stream network into distinct hydrogeomorphic patches
• Also account for differences in aquatic assemblages resulting from geographic variation in structure and function
Valley Segment Types for theOzark/Meramec EDU
• Variables are concatenated into one numeric code• Each unique code represents a unique valley segment type
=
Variable Codes
Deciphering VST Codes
211210121211220021211220121211230021211230121212210021212210121212220021212220121212230021212230121221210021221220021221230021221230421
Valley Segment Type Codes and Descriptions
212230021 = Valley Segment Type Code
2 = Warm
1 = Headwaters
2 = Intermittent flow
2 = Flowing through dolomite/limestone
3 = Relatively high gradient
0 = Valley wall interaction (N/A)
0 = Flows into another headwater
2 = Flowing within own valley
1 = Primary channel
Understanding Ecological ContextLevel 4
Ecological Drainage Units
Aquatic EcologicalSystem Types
Valley SegmentTypes
Subregions
Zone:Nearctic zoogeographic zoneSubzone:Arctic/Atlantic DrainagesRegion:Mississippi DrainageSubregion:Ozark PlateauEcological Drainage Unit:Ozark Plateau/Meramec DrainageAquatic Ecological System:Upper Meramec/Dry Fork,Oak/Woodland Plain, sandstonedominated, low gradient and springdensity stream complexValley Segment Type:Warm, perennial, creek with a relativelyhigh gradient, flowing through sandstone,and connecting to another creek
Level 7
Level 6
Level 5
Improving the Classification of Riverine Ecosystems
• More detailed geology and soil data
• Characterize watersheds of every single stream reach
• More biological data collected at relatively undisturbed sites
• Better temperature and flow data
• Link physical habitat and water quality data to NHD
Summary• Classifying distinct ecosystems at multiple levels is critical to
conservation planning– Planning Regions, Assessment Units, Abiotic Targets, Species modeling
• Resulting spatial units must delineate interacting systems
• Must account for structural, functional, and compositional variation
• Difficult part is doing the detective work to identify the factors that determine/associated with these forms of variation
• Our classification system accounts for all three forms of variation in riverine ecosystems
• However, there is room for improvement if we can overcome existing data limitations
USGS National Gap Analysis Program
U.S. Department of Defense Legacy Program
Missouri Department of Conservation
University of Missouri
Missouri Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit
MoRAP Partner Agencies and Personnel
Acknowledgements
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